Ridgewood Schools Diwali Holiday, Friday Night Football Conflict : Follow the “Sandy Koufax Rule”

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, Ridgewood Schools Superintendent Mark Schwarz addressed the Diwali holiday and the Friday Night Ridgewood High School Football game .  Our view is to take a que from Baseball great Sandy Koufax , who summed up his thoughts , saying that a “man is entitled to his belief and I believe I should not work on Yom Kippur. It’s as simple as all that and I have never had any trouble on that account since I’ve been in baseball.”

Koufax, the incomparable Dodgers ace, naturally was expected to start Game 1 of the World Series against the Minnesota Twins in Bloomington, Minn. But Oct. 6, 1965, the date of Game 1 of the World Series, also happened to be the date of Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – on the Jewish calendar.

 

“Dear RPS Community –

I understand that the recent scheduling of a football playoff game on Friday, which coincides with the Diwali holiday, has caused unease among some community members, including those who identify as Indian Americans and those who wish to ensure that all community members feel included in our programs.

In response to many individuals who expressed the desire to attend the game but would not be able to due to commitments associated with Diwali, the district made every effort to reschedule the game for Saturday.

Unfortunately, we were unable to secure an appropriate amount of staffing for the teams on Saturday. As this is a playoff game, there are no other times that this game can be rescheduled.

In some of the correspondence I received regarding this scheduling, some individuals expressed surprise that an event was scheduled on a religious holiday. I feel that it is important to clarify that schools are secular institutions and do not bar events from occurring on religious holidays. However, we have a tradition of avoiding scheduling events on days of significance to community members. Nevertheless, there are circumstances in which we will not be able to avoid scheduling events on all such significant days.

For anyone who would like to discuss this topic further, my next Superintendent Coffee will be held on Thursday, November 14th. I hope to see you then. In the meantime, best wishes to all Ridgewood community members who celebrate Diwali; may you have a festive time with your friends and loved ones. And also, best wishes to our football team for continued victories in the playoffs.

Sincerely,

Mark Schwarz
Superintendent”

 

 

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